Steven Fletcher, the government minister responsible for the postal service, criticized the union's statements.

"CUPW should apologize for this misuse of public funds and its anti-Israeli rhetoric," said Fletcher.

The postal workers' union admitted to using union dues to send letter carrier and activist Ruth Breen to protest in the West Bank last year, according to the report in the Sun.

Also last year, the Canadian postal service Canada Post refused to pay for union members to attend a "Free Palestine" conference in Brazil.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, known for a history of activism outside of labor causes, was the first national union to call for a boycott of Israel when it did so in 2008. The union has 54,000 members.